SONGS IN INDONESIAN LEADER'S HEART NOW ON CD
Star Tribune - November 03, 2007President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's album allowed him "to communicate, to express my ideas," he said.
By Paul Watson, Los Angeles Times
JAKARTA, INDONESIA - With the next election two years away, it's a little early to be wooing voters with love songs.
So when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono released a CD of schmaltzy pop tunes he penned, including "My Longing For You" and "Dear, I Miss You Too," some Indonesians were left wondering, if only half-heartedly, what's up with their leader?
The former army general, it seems, has long been a closet composer.
"The secret is taking a little time to reflect," Yudhoyono said at his recent album launch. "Between the tight schedule of work, in the middle of problems, I need to rearrange my heart. And that's when I want to communicate, to express my ideas, my heart as an ordinary human being. That's when I create."
Yudhoyono insisted he put out the album not as a political play but to highlight a fight by performers and songwriters against piracy. Besides, he pointed out, lots of world leaders have hobbies.
Yudhoyono said he wrote one song -- about peace, brotherhood and love -- on the first night of Ramadan, the holy month when observant Muslims fast from dawn until dusk to cleanse their souls. A song titled "God's Power" came to the president when he was on a long flight from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Tokyo, heading home from the United Nations' fall session in New York. And Bali moonlight inspired a number about Yudhoyono's longing for "the queen of my heart."
News that Yudhoyono is a man with songs in his heart hasn't caused much of a stir in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Newspapers briefly noted the release of his album. Next to a large color photo of Yudhoyono singing with his guitar, an Indonesian newsmagazine predicted: "His album is sure to sell well."
So far, music reviewers haven't hazarded critiques of the president's musical talent.
The harshest review has come from opposition politician Herman Herri, who advised Yudhoyono to save sentiment for his diary, leave music to experts and turn his mind to creating jobs for Indonesians.
If, as some people here have speculated, Yudhoyono is pitching for the youth vote with his pop songs, he might be disappointed.
Patrick Guntensperger, who teaches media and culture at a Jakarta university, asked his students what they thought of the president's album. The response was "mild indifference," he said.
In the first three years of a five-year term, Yudhoyono's approval rating has plunged from 80 percent to 54 percent.
Source: Star Tribune - www.startribune.com